Adjustable frame support



April?, 1959 K .LMAGIRE l 2,880,448

ADJUSTABLE FRAME SUPPORT Filed March 28, 1957 United States Patent OADJUSTABLE FRAME SUPPORT John Maguire, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor toDuo-Bed Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of NevadaApplication March 28, 1957, Serial No. 649,214

4 Claims. (Cl. 16-19) This invention relates to an adjustable framesupport which is particularly adapted for beds and sofa beds.

It is well known that a conventionally formed mattress will pack to acertain degree through use and its thickness will accordingly diminishover a period of time. If such a mattress is used as part of a sofa bed,the height of the sofa bed with respect to the floor will come to beless than that originally provided and desired by the manufacturer. Thiscauses the sofa bed to become less comfortable for persons seated uponit.

Another diiculty which arises is an undesirable variation in the heightof the sofa bed seat with respect to tables, holsters, storagecompartments and similar related equipment which is attached to orassociated with the sofa bed in use.

It is an object of my invention to overcome these di'liculties throughthe provision of an adjustable frame support. It is more particularly anobject of my invention to provide a frame support which is easily andmanually adjustable to increase or 4decrease the height of the bed framewith respect to the floor. This adjustment in turn increases ordecreases the height of the sofa bed seat with respect to the floor andalso with respect to the related articles of furniture and equipment.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such a device which issimple and economic to manufacture and install and which is easy andsubstantially fool proof to use. It is among the further objects of myinvention to provide such a device which can be adjusted while the sofabed is fully assembled and which requires no disassembly of the sofa bedor frame and which requires no tools or equipment of any kind for itsadjustment.

It is another object of my invention to provide such a frame supportwhich is adapted to facilitate the pivotal movement of a bed or sofa bedalong an arcuate path. My frame support is particularly adapted toprovide such movement along a iixed path without resulting in excesswear or damage to the carpet across which the bed is moved.

My invention also comprises such other objects, advantages andcapabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherentlypossessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodimentof my invention, it should be understood that the same is susceptible ofmodification and change without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l is a perspective view of my adjustableframesupport mounted on the under portionof a bed frame;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational View of my frame support, withthe rods in the top set of grooves;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the same, with the rods in the top set ofgrooves;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the same, with the rods in the bottom set ofgrooves; v

Fig. 5 is an end view of the opposite end plate alone.

A preferred embodiment which has been selected to 2,880,448 PatentedApr. 7, 1959 illustrate my invention comprises a support member which isadapted to be used in connection with a substantially oblong bed frame10, which is customarily formed of angle irons. My support memberincludes a at top plate 11a, which is adapted to be welded, bolted orotherwise suitably attached to the under portion of the frame 10.

Formed integrally with the top plate 11a and depending downwardly at aright angle from the opposite ends thereof are a pair of end plates 11and 12. The lower portions of the end plates 11 and 12 are provided withcentrally disposed upwardly directed substantially U-shaped cutawayportions. 13 and 14, respectively.

The end plate 11 iscutaway on one side thereof to form a plurality of.spaced grooves 15, 16, 17 and 18, which are separated by intermediatelands 19, 20 and 21. All of the grooves open intov a passage 22, oneside of which extends along 'thcgrooves and lands and the other side 'ofwhich comprises a diagonal line extending substantially parallel to theside edge of the end plate 11.

The end plate 11 is cut away on its opposite side to form a plurality ofsimilar spaced grooves 23, 24, 25 and 26, which are directed oppositelyfrom and are aligned with the grooves 15-18. The grooves 23-26 areseparated by lands 27, 28 and 29.` The grooves 23-26 open into a passage30, one side of which connects with the grooves while the opposite sideextends diagonally and substantially parallel to the opposite side edgeof the end plate 11.

The opposite end plate 12 is provided at one side thereof with similargrooves 31-34 separated by lands 35-37 and joined by a passage 38. Theother side of the end plate 12 has oppositely vdirected grooves 39-42separated by lands 43-45 and joined by a pasasge 46. All of the groovesin the end plate 11 are aligned with the corresponding grooves in theend plate 12.

A pair of elongated rods 50 and 51 extend between the end plates 11 and12 beneath and substantially parallel to the top plate 11a and to eachother. The rods 50 and 51 are substantially circular in cross sectionand the portions adjacent the opposite ends thereof are adapted to twithin the grooves described above. The rod 50 extends between one setof grooves in end plate 11 and the corresponding set of grooves in endplate 12. The other rod 51 extends between the other set of grooves inend plate 11 and the corresponding set of grooves in end plate 12. Therods 50 and S1 are always positioned so that they lie in the samehorizontal plane.

One end of the rod 50 extends beyond the end plate 11 and through acircular opening adjacent one end of an arm 52 which is disposedadjacent the end plate 11. The corresponding end of the rod 51 extendsbeyond the end plate 11 and through a circular opening adjacent one endof another similarly formed arm 53 which is directly adjacent to the arm52. The opposite ends of the arms 52 and 53 cross and are provided withaligned openings through which extends one end of an axle S5. Anelongated oor engaging roller 56 is rotatably mounted on the axle 55.The yroller 56 is preferably formed of hard rubber and is substantiallyfrusta-conical in shape, having a considerably larger diameter adjacentone end of the axle 55, than adjacent the opposite end.

One end of a hairpin spring 57 extends through an opening in the end ofrod 50 beyond arm 52. The midportion of the spring 57 extends through anopening n the end of the axle S5 beyond the armsl 52 and 53. Theopposite end of the spring 57 extends through an opening in the end ofrod 51 beyond arm 53. The spring 57 exerts pressure normally urging therods 50 and 51 outwardly into the above described grooves in end plates11 and 12 and away from the passages. Suitable washers, bearings and thelike which are conventional in their structure and purpose may also beprovided, the description ice of such means beingl omitted since theylie within the ordinary skill of the art.

The opposite ends of the rods 50 and 51 extend beyond the end plate 12and are connected to one end of similariy formed arms 58 and 59,' theopposite ends of which are connected to the opposite end of the axle 55.A hairpin spring 60 is connected to the ends of the rods 50 and 51 andthe end of the axle 55.A The spring 60 normally urges the rods 50 and 51into the grooves in the end plate 12.

In use, the ends of the rods 50 and 51 are adapted to fit within any ofthe four spaced sets of grooves in the end plates 11 and 12 in order toadjust the height of the roller 56 to any of four distances from the topplate 11a. The springs 57 and 60 normally hold the rods 50 and 51 withinany set of grooves in which they are placed. Movement of the rods 50 and51 from one set of grooves to another is accomplished by exerting manualpressure on the rods 50 and 51 to move them simultaneously toward eachother against the pressure of the springs 57 and 60. This pressure iscontinued until the rods 50 and 51 move out of the grooves and into thepassages, where they engage the diagonal side walls of the passage. Therods 50 and 51 can then be moved smoothly along the passages until theyare disposed adjacent the desired set of grooves. The manual pressure isthen released and the springs 57 and 60 urge the ends of the rods 50 and5l into the grooves.

When the rods 50 and 51 are moved to their uppermost position, the endsof the axle 55 fit within the cutaway portions 13 and 14 of the endplates 11 and 12 to permit upward movement of the roller 56 even beyondthe bottom edge of the end plates 11 and 12.

Because the roller 56 is fru'sto-conical in shape, it is particularlyadapted for use in facilitating the pivotal movement of sofa bed framesalong a fixed arcuate path with a minimum amount of friction andresulting carpet wear. In such uses, four rollers are mounted adjacentthe corners of the frame and oriented so that the axes yare pointedtoward the axis of rotation. The degree of frusto-conicality of therollers is preferably commensurate to the distance of the rollers fromthe axis of rotation. My adjustable frame support is particularlydesigned and adapted for use with an elongated roller of such type andprovides the added benefit of height adjustability of the frame withrespect to the oor.

I claim:

l. An adjustable support, said support comprising a top plate, a firstend plate depending downwardly from one end of said top plate, a secondend plate depending downwardly from the other end of said top plate,said first end plate having a first row of vertically spaced grooves inone side thereof, a first passage extending along the inner edge of saidVfirst row and connecting all of the grooves in said row, said first endplate having a second row of vertically spaced grooves in the oppositeside thereof, a second passage extending along the inner edge of saidsecond row and connecting all of the grooves in said row, the grooves insaid second row being substantially aligned vertically with the groovesin said rst row, said second end plate having a third row of verticallyspaced grooves in one side thereof, a third passage extending along theinner edgek of said third row and connecting all of the grooves in saidrow, said second end plate having a fourth row of vertically spacedgrooves in the opposite side thereof, a fourth passage extending alongthe inner edge of said 'fourth row and connecting all of the grooves insaid row, a first elongated horizontal. rod extending between andthrough said first and second end plates, one end of said first rodbeing disposed within one of the grooves in vsaid first row and theother end of said first rod being disposed within one of the grooves insaid third row, a second elongated horizontal rod extending between andthrough said first and second end plates, one end of said second rodbeing disposed within one of the grooves in said second row and theother end of said seco-nd rod being disposed within one of the groovesin said fourth row, a first pair of arms disposed adjacent the outer endof said first end plate, one end of one of said first pair of arms beingattached to one end of said first rod, one end of the other of saidfirst pair of arms being attached to one end of said second rod, asecond pair of arms disposed adjacent the outer end of said second endplate, one end of one of said second pair of arms being attached to theother end of said first rod, one end of the other of said second pair ofarms being attached to the other end of said second rod, a horizontalaxle extending between and beyond said end plates, one end of said axlebeing secured to the other ends of said first pair of arms and the otherend of said axle being secured to the other ends of said second pair ofarms, an elongated floor engaging roller rotatably mounted on said axle,spring means extending between each end of said axle and the adjacentends of said rods adjacent each `of said pair of arms, said spring meansnormally urging said rods outwardly with respect to each other to holdthe end portions of said rods within said grooves, said rods upon theexertion of manual pressure thereon urging said rods toward each otherbeing movable against the urging of said spring means to move said rodssubstantially simultaneously out of said grooves and into said passages,whereby said rods may be moved along said passages until they arealigned with any of the grooves in said rows, said spring means upon therelease of said rods urging their end portions back into said grooves,the movement of said rods from one set of grooves to another adjustingthe height provided by said support with respect to the floor.

2. An adjustable support, said support comprising a top plate, a firstend plate depending downwardly from one end of said top plate, a secondend plate depending downwardly from the other end of said top plate,said first end plate having a first row of vertically spaced grooves inone side thereof, a first passage extending along the inner edge of saidfirst row and connecting all of the grooves in said row, said first endplate having a second row of vertical-ly spaced grooves in the oppositeside thereof, a second passage extending along the inner edge of saidsecond row and connecting all of the grooves in said row, the grooves insaid second row being substantially aligned vertically with the groovesin said first row, said second end plate having a third row ofvertically spaced grooves in one side thereof, a third passage extendingalong the inner edge of said third row and connecting all of the groovesin said row, said second end plate having a fourth row of verticallyspaced grooves in the opposite side thereof, a fourth passage extendingalong the inner edge of said fourth row and connecting all of thegrooves in said row, a first elongated horizontal rod extending betweenand through said first and second end plates, one end of said first rodbeing disposed within one of the grooves in said first row and the otherend of said first rod being disposed within one of the grooves in saidthird row, a second elongated horizontal rod extending between andthrough said first and second end plates, one end of said second rodbeing disposed within one of the grooves in said second row and theother end of said second rod being disposed within one of the grooves insaid fourth row, a horizontal axle extending between and beyond said endplates, one end of said axle being connected to one end of each of saidfirst and second rods, the other end of said axle being connected to theother end of each of said first and second rods, an elongated floorengaging roller rotatably mounted on said axle, spring means extendingbetween each end of said axle and the adjacent ends of said rods, saidspring means normally urging said rods outwardly with respect to each`other to hold the end portions of said rods within said grooves, saidrods upon the exertion of manual pressure thereon urging said rodstoward each other being movable against the urging of said spring meansto move said rods substantially simultaneously out of said grooves andinto said passages, whereby said rods may be moved along said passagesuntil they are aligned with any of the grooves in said rows, said springmeans upon the release of said rods urging their end portions back intosaid grooves, the :movement of said rods from one set of grooves toanother adjusting the height provided by said support with respect tothe oor.

3. An adjustable support, said support comprising a top plate, a firstend plate depending downwardly from one end of said top plate, a secondend plate depending downwardly from the other end of said top plate,said rst end plate having a first row of vertically spaced grooves inone side thereof, a first passage extending along the inner edge of saidfirst row and connecting all of the grooves in said row, said first endplate having a second row of vertically spaced grooves in the oppositeside thereof, a second passage extending along the inner edge of saidsecond row and connecting all of the grooves in said row, the grooves insaid second row being substantially aligned vertically with the groovesin said first row, said second end plate having a third row ofvertically spaced grooves in one side thereof, a third passage extendingalong the inner edge of said third row and connecting all of the groovesin said row, said second end plate having a fourth row of verticallyspaced grooves in the opposite side thereof, a fourth passage extendingalong the inner edge of said fourth row and connecting all of thegrooves in said row, a irst elongated horizontal rod extending betweenand through said rst and second end plates, one end of said first rodbeing disposed within one of the grooves in said first row and the otherend of said irst rod being disposed within one of the grooves in saidthird row, a second elongated horizontal rod extending between andthrough said first and second end plates, one end of said second rodbeing disposed within one of the grooves in said second row and theother end of said second rod being disposed within one of the grooves insaid fourth row, a horizontal axle extending between and beyond said endplates, said axle being connected to each of said rods, an elongatedfloor engaging roller rotatably mounted on said axle, spring meansengaging each of said rods normally urging said rods outwardly withrespect to each other to hold the end portions of said rods within saidgrooves, said rods upon the exertion of manual pressure thereon urgingsaid rods toward each other being movable against the urging of saidspring means to move said rods substantially simultaneously out of saidgrooves and into said passages, whereby said rods may be moved alongsaid passages until they are aligned with any of the grooves in saidrows, said spring means upon the release of said rods urging their endportions back into said grooves, the movement of said rods from one setof grooves to another adjusting the height provided by said support withrespect to the door.

4. An adjustable support, said support comprising a top plate, a firstend plate depending downwardly from one end of said top plate, a secondend plate depending downwardly from the other end of said top plate,said first end plate having a first row of vertically spaced grooves inone side thereof, a irst passage extending along one edge of said firstrow and connecting all of the grooves in said row, said first end platehaving a second row of vertically spaced grooves in the opposite sidethereof, a second passage extending along one edge of said second rowand connecting all of the grooves in said row, the grooves in saidsecond row being substantially aligned vertically with the grooves insaid rst row, said second end plate having a third row of verticallyspaced grooves in one side thereof, a third passage extending along oneedge of said third row and connecting all of the grooves in said row,said second end plate having a fourth row of vertically spaced groovesin the opposite side thereof, a fourth passage extending along one edgeof said fourth row and connecting all of the grooves in said row, alirst elongated horizontal rod extending between and through said firstand second end plates, one end of said first rod being disposed withinone of the grooves in said Iirst row and the other end of said first rodbeing disposed Within one of the grooves in said third row, a secondelongated horizontal rod extending between and through said first andsecond end plates, one end of said second rod being disposed within oneof the grooves in said second row and the other end of said second rodbeing disposed within one of the grooves in said fourth row, ahorizontal axle extending between and beyond said end plates, said axlebeing connected to each of said rods, an elongated floor engaging rollerrotatably mounted on said axle, spring means engaging each of said rodsnormally urging said rods to hold the end portions of said rods withinsaid grooves, said rods upon the exertion of manual pressure thereonbeing movable against the urging of said spring means to move said rodssubstantially simultaneously out of said grooves and into said passages,whereby said rods may be moved along said passages until they arealigned with any of the grooves in said rows, said spring means upon therelease of said rods urging their end portions back into said grooves,the movement of said rods from one set of grooves to another adjustingthe height provided by said support with respect to the oor.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,342,500 Finch June 8, 1920 1,482,956 Tideman Feb. 5, 1924 1,860,103Kusterle May 24, 1932 2,774,986 Moorehouse Dec. 25, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS459,767 Canada Sept. 20, 1949 874,910 France Aug. 31, 1942 1,016,887France Nov. 25, 1953

